The Microsoft Internet Explorer Developer Center is a sophomoric effort by a company that has both the talent and the resources to do a much better job. The site is basically a bunch of content of questionable value with a poorly integrated search and navigation schema plopped overtop. The user experience is less than mediocre. It’s downright discombobulated — poorly organized, improperly focused, and findability – challenged. But we’re not at all surprised. It’s what we’d expect to see from the same folks who made you click the “Start” button to shut your PC down.

The Mozilla Developer Network is a refreshing attempt at creating a second-generation customer support environment. And, that’s what it is — a customer support community. Developers are customers and Mozilla obviously understand this. While the site is in need of some basic improvements (consistency of features, improvements in search and findability, a unification of social functionality, and some more aggressive campaigns to encourage participation) it’s a great example of how a few smart changes can lead to a site that kicks the crap out of the competition. We can’t wait to see what version 2.0 looks like.